Mongolia Drilling Update

Soco International PLC
29 October 2004


SOCO International plc
('SOCO' or 'the Company')

Mongolia Operations Result in New Oil Field

SOCO is an international oil and gas exploration and production company,
headquartered in London.  The Company has interests in Vietnam, Mongolia, Yemen,
Libya, Tunisia, and Thailand with production operations in Yemen, Tunisia and
Mongolia.

The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, SOCO Tamtsag Mongolia, Inc. ('SOTAMO'),
has successfully completed its planned four well 2004 exploration programme in
Mongolia.  The objective of this year's programme was to explore the most
prospective areas delineated by the interpretation of recently acquired seismic
in an area North of the currently producing Tolson Uul field.  All four wells
drilled in this year's programme encountered hydrocarbons.

Two wells have been completed for production as part of the pilot production
programme.  One well has possible formation damage and will be further
evaluated.  The fourth well will be completed in 2005.  As is typical, drilling
and completion operations have been suspended for the Mongolian winter months.

The success of the first three wells drilled this year has resulted in the
designation of a new field, Tolson Uul North.

Individual Well Results

Well 19-20 was drilled to a total depth ('TD') of 2,410 metres encountering good
oil shows in the Tsagaantsav formation.  The well was completed in this
formation and fracture stimulated, which resulted in an initial production rate
of approximately 70 barrels of oil per day ('BOPD').

Well 19-21 encountered good oil shows in the Zuunbayan and the Tsagaantsav while
drilling to a TD of 2,625 metres.  The well was completed in the Zuunbayan
formation with an initial production rate of approximately 120 BOPD.

Well 19-22 was drilled to a TD of 2,600 metres.  Although it encountered good
oil shows in the Tsagaantsav formation, a sudden and complete loss of
circulation occurred in a fracture zone during drilling.  The well was
successfully cased and will be further evaluated over the winter and completed
in 2005.

The final well of the 2004 programme, the 19-23, was drilled on a previously
untested structure to a TD of 2,253 metres. The well encountered good oil shows
in the Zuunbayan formation thus extending the productive area of the basin
approximately nine kilometres to the north. The 19-23 was completed, but initial
test results indicate that reservoir damage is potentially limiting the well's
performance. The well has been suspended for further evaluation.

The pilot production programme will continue throughout the winter from those
wells capable of being produced in Contract Area 19. SOCO plans to focus near
term future activity on improving performance from the existing producing wells
and further evaluating the productive trend identified by the new wells.
Following a thorough combined geoscience and reservoir engineering review, the
Company will plan the next stage of the area development.

Ed Story, President and Chief Executive of SOCO, commented:

' The success of our exploratory drilling programme in Mongolia this year
increases our confidence in the reserve potential of the Tamtsag Basin.  We will
integrate the technical data from this year's drilling programme to improve our
understanding of the highly prospective but complex area.'

29 October 2004

ENQUIRIES:

SOCO International plc                                       Tel:  [phone]
Roger Cagle, Deputy Chief Executive
and Chief Financial Officer

College Hill                                                 Tel:  [phone]
Ben Brewerton
Nick Elwes

Notes to Editors

SOCO is operator and holds an approximate 85% working interest in PSC's over
Contract Areas 19, 21 and 22 in the Tamtsag Basin in Mongolia through its wholly
owned subsidiary, SOCO Tamtsag Mongolia.  The Chinese company providing the
drilling services has earned the right to take a 10% working interest and a 5%
interest is being carried through the exploration phase for PetroVietnam, the
Vietnamese national oil company.

SOCO acquired a 100 square kilometre 3D seismic programme, early in 2004, to
further evaluate an area north of the currently producing Tolson Uul field in
Contract Area 19. The programme allowed definition of a broad structural high
with an areal extent of approximately 23 square kilometres. The area was first
tested in 2003 by the 19-17 and 19-19 wells, both of which encountered oil in
the Tsagaantsav and Zuunbayan formations and both of which are now on
production.

The crude oil is sold at world prices primarily under a contract with China
National Oil Corporation, but also occasionally to area power plants.  The crude
sold is trucked under a turnkey contract to a pipeline terminal in Aershan
Oilfield in China for further transportation to a refining centre.




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